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Posted by Gail Barth on
September 25, 2017

I have always been puzzled by what, to me, are glaring discrepancies between what I consider to be Christian beliefs and practices, and what I see and hear from so-called Evangelical Christians and other hard line Christians. Seeing what these people are willing to accept seemingly without question from Donald Trump and Congress just puzzles me even more. It makes no sense to me that people who claim to be so pious can embrace Trump when they have to know what an abomination he is. It’s one thing to claim to be in Trump’s camp because you believe in his politics; it’s quite another to support him because you’re a Christian supporting what you’re calling a Christian. This, to me, is maddeningly perverse.

Basically, love thy neighbor unless he’s gay, Muslim, or just plain different from white, straight and God fearing. Love the fetus, but give the child no lifeline whatsoever. Denounce the adulterer unless he’s Donald Trump, for whom practice makes perfect in this area of his life. And now, Christian relatives are proudly publishing links to Trump’s UN speech on Tuesday, in which he promises to ‘totally destroy’ North Korea, as if that’s somehow God’s will and Trump is the godly messenger sent to smite the infidel that is Kim Jong-Un. And, not insignificantly, included in that devastation would be thousands of women and children. But, hey, if they aren’t Christians, then screw ’em. North Korean infants and toddlers will just grow up to be adult infidels, so, as Brutus says of Caesar, let’s “kill [them] in the shell” rather than let them hatch into dangerous snakes.

If one could excuse what Trump is accused of doing and saying as just rumors and fake news, that would be one thing, but that isn’t the case. His now infamous comments about pussy grabbing were captured on tape. There is no doubt he said it. And I’m not sure what Christian values that aligns with. The same for his documented comments about having a “young and beautiful piece of ass.” And his tweet that if Hillary “couldn't satisfy her husband!” then how could she satisfy the country. And his calling a breastfeeding mother “disgusting.” And to an Apprentice contestant, “It must be a pretty picture, you dropping to your knees.” I could go on, but suffice it to say there are many more such comments, and their existence and veracity is not open to question.

He’s a serial adulterer, three times married. Again, no question. He lies repeatedly and then hangs himself with his own tweets and public comments. Apparently, that’s either the Christian way to many, or totally beside the point, given that he’s the Chosen One. And I know people who not only believe that, but believe that it’s Obama who is the Anti-Christ. Apparently, the bar for the Chosen One is set so low that anyone, and I do mean anyone, qualifies for that position. Which brings me to another point. I’ve heard people say that Trump has sinned but that everyone deserves a second chance. Or, in this case, a third, fourth, fifth, and so on.

But this really does beg the question: why would such God-fearing people even remotely consider hitching their wagons to Trump’s decaying star? Unless, of course, their own wagons aren’t exactly spotless. Otherwise, I just don’t see how they can support a man who not only seems to relish breaking as many of the Ten Commandments as possible, but has said, “I consider myself too perfect and have no faults” and has said he needs no forgiveness. That, by the way, is also documented. And it puts him right up there next to God, bumping Christ, who was way more humble and introspective and clearly more deserving, aside.

You would think, if you’re a thinking human being, that Trump’s total disregard for the safety of planet earth would not play well with the Evangelicals. After all, there are multiple references in the Bible to God’s people taking care of the earth. Psalm 24:1 says, “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein.” Okay, I believe that the earth is God’s and that we are here as guests who need to take care of it. And Revelations, the book we can always count on to prevent restful sleep, says, “The nations raged, but your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear your name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.” So Revelations is telling us that those who destroy the earth, like, say, Trump, are in trouble bigly. Those passionate Christians who support Trump have always seemed equally supportive of this book in the Bible, pointing out smugly (and piously, always piously) that the sinners will be left sitting on their thumbs when the Rapture happens. I’d really like to be a fly on the wall to see where Trump ends up. And, of course, where his supporters land. On a side note, I’ll probably be in the sinners camp. I have no illusions about my time in eternity. But I just have to believe the slope I’m standing on, even if I were to make sin my life’s work from this point on, isn’t nearly as slippery as Trump’s.

Which brings me to yet another point. Someone has pointed out that I can’t possibly judge Trump or know how much of the Bible he may have read or how Christian he is. I beg to differ, at least on most of that. Actions really do often speak louder than words, and this is not a Godly or even a Christian man. Nope. Not even. Both his actions and his words tell the tale. And yet, the televangelists still line up to kiss his copious butt cheeks, praying over him in the Oval Office (desperation?) and praising his decisions that, as far as I can tell, are leading to nothing but dangerous outcomes. You want a quick Rapture and Second Coming, vote Trump into office and let the immorality fall where it may. I was watching an old episode of the Golden Girls the other night in which Sophia temporarily goes to heaven. St. Peter has to excuse himself to go see a new arrival, a televangelist. He’s excited because they’ve never had one there before. That’s very perceptive, and I can almost guarantee that the first televangelist to enter heaven won’t be Franklin Graham, by the way; hate mongering won’t cut it, and he and his groupies excel at that.

So, to recap: Trump abuses and disrespects women (documented), abuses and disrespects the environment (documented), calls for a potential annihilation of an entire country (documented), refuses to condemn the worst kind of racists (documented), insists on removing healthcare from potentially millions of Americans (documented), has multiple marriages with multiple adulteries (documented), wishes to refuse sanctuary to terrified refugees who need it to survive (documented), makes a habit of lying and cheating those who work for him (documented), etc., etc., etc. I guess if I’ve been mistaken about Christian values and Trump embodies them, then I need to break out and have a great deal more fun than I’ve been having. But if, as I suspect, these are not Christian values and Trump is the antithesis of a Christian, then the pious supporters who have been proudly declaring their allegiance are backing the wrong horse in the heavenly race. And ultimately, best case scenario, they end up really mortified. Worst case scenario, they end up one fire pit over from their Chosen One. Either way, the hypocrisy is astounding. And profoundly disturbing.